Matter Cycles Adventure Shred Benefat

For those of us in the southern hemisphere, Winter is really beginning to dig its heels in. And while the mercury doesn’t plunge to the depths that it does in Boulder, Colorado, where Collin Schaafsma and Matter Cycles is based, it’s enough to make us appreciate his ‘Adventure Shred’ edition Benefat bike.

Here’s the undressed Benefat. It’s one of the Matter Cycles range of models whose names summon up images of raw two-wheeled adventuring: the SlayRide 27.5″ MTB, the GhostCat 29/27.5er, the WolfBeard adventure road bike, the CogFight tarmac killer, and the UrbanAssault commuter.

Thomas needed a bike that could be loaded up with his skis and camera gear to tackle ski approaches on his global bikepacking trips. Collin modified the design of his Benefat to be the ultimate personalised two-wheeled adventure mobile.

For the summer, it can be converted to a single speed — belt drive if required — running 29×3″ tyres. In the winter he can go as big as 26×4.8″, enough to ride through substantial snow drifts. Collin created a rear rack from 4130 chromoly to handle a ton of gear, including his skis.

The Q-factor is wide enough to keep the knees away from the skis. Pointing the skis up from the rear was considered, but that would throw the ride off, and potentially clip trees. A neat little bolt-on bumper in front of the head tube keeps the skis away from the frame, protecting both the paint and the skis.

The fork has suspension-corrected geometry and 150mmx15mm spacing, Collin tells us, “so that he can easily swap it for a Bluto fork when he wants to get rowdy without having to lace up another wheel! It also has a ton of extra mounts for carrying all his gear. I call it the ForForkSake fork!”

Just try finding a similar ride at your local bike shop. Check out more of Collin’s bikes on the Matter Cycles website.